Lab Report: Investigation: Comparing Plant and Animal Cells
MYP 1 ( )
Name: ____________________________
Class: _______________________
Part 1: Observing Plant Cells
1. Obtain a piece of onion and use forceps to peel the membrane
from the underside of the onion. This will appear very thin and
mostly transparent.
2. Place the membrane flat on the slide and use your forceps to
spread it out, avoiding having any folds in the membrane.
3. Place a drop of water on the membrane.
4. Carefully place a cover slip over the
specimen.
View the microscope with scanning. Draw your
cells as they appear in the viewing field.
Label the cell wall, nucleus, and cytoplasm.
Part 1: Observing Animal Cells
1. Put a drop of methylene blue or other stain on a slide.
2. Gently scrape the inside of your cheek with
a cotton swap and stir the end of it into the stain
to create a smear.
3. Place a coverslip onto the slide.
View the microscope with scanning. Draw your
cells as they appear in the viewing field.
Label the cell wall, nucleus, and cytoplasm.
Analysis
1. Describe two ways in which the plant and animal cells are similar based on your observations.
2. Describe two ways in which they are different based on your observations.
3. List two organelles that are not visible with the microscope.
4. Create a Venn diagram that shows how plant and animal cells are different and the same.